Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, left, and Republican Attorney General John Suthers, right, chat at the Colorado State Fair's annual legislative barbecue in Pueblo Friday. Bennet easily won the primary in Pueblo County, which surprised some Democrats. (Photos by Lynn Bartels/The Denver Post)

What happened to Andrew Romanoff in Pueblo?

That question was frequently asked Friday night at the Colorado State Fair’s annual legislative barbecue in Pueblo, billed as the biggest political party of the summer.

Sherry Levinson shows her support of Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff when he kicked off his campaign in Pueblo last year. (AP Photo/Pueblo Chieftain, Chris McLean)

Romanoff lost the Democratic U.S. Senate primary to Michael Bennet, 54 percent to 46 percent, but to many’s surprise he also lost Pueblo County.

“He really is an adopted son of Pueblo, as far as I am concerned,” Pueblo County Commissioner Anthony Nuñez said at the time.

At the barbecue, Nuñez said he still doesn’t know what happened.

In Pueblo County, Bennet received 55.5 percent of the votes to Romanoff’s 44.4 percent — a difference of 1,751 votes.

When Bennet arrived at the barbecue, he was quick to thank a number of local volunteers, crediting them for his victory.

Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter appointed Bennet to the Senate in January 2009. Choosing the Denver public schools chiefs, who had never held office before, outraged some Democrats, who thought the governor should have tapped U.S. Rep. John Salazar or Romanoff, the Denver lawmaker who had served two terms as speaker of the state House.

The Bennet selection, combined with Ritter’s veto of certain labor bills, infuriated Pueblo political legend Wally Stealey, who let Ritter have at it last year’s barbecue.

Wally Stealey, at the State Fair on Friday.

Stealey’s tongue-lashing, which he proudly recalled Friday night, was another hot topic of conversation among those at the barbecue. “I was standing right there when it happened,” one woman said, pointing past the tables filled with baked potatoes and steak.

“Yeah, I was pretty upset with him,” Stealey recalled.

Asked about Romanoff’s loss, Stealey said he’s heard that President Obama’s prerecorded “Robo” calls to Democratic voters had a big impact, especially on Hispanics.

“I talked to some of our elected officials who said they were having a hard time with their relatives. Once they got Obama’s call they said they were going to vote for Bennet,” Stealey said.

Also at the barbecue was Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, who won the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate. Buck dropped by Romanoff’s headquarters Thursday night and offered up some cash and a Tea Party pin to Romanoff, who held a fund-raiser to try to pay down some campaign debt.

Buck received plenty of congratulations from Republicans who think he’s going to beat Bennet in November.

Buck’s new campaign manager, John Swartout, who donated $40 to Romanoff, mingled with guests at the barbecue.

John Swartout mingles at the State Fair with CU lobbyist Kirsten Castleman.

“I’m having a great time on the campaign,” he said.

Swartout said he’s getting plenty of ribbing since The Spot outed him as the (evil) genius behind Republican staffers for Senate candidate Wayne Allard in 2002 deciding to hike up the same mountain as Democratic staffers for Tim Strickland – and beating them to the punch. (By the way, the world famous photo of that event was snapped by none other than everyone’s favorite former lawmaker, Rep. Rob Witwer of Genesee.)

Rep. Cory Gardner got a big laugh in a hearing this week when he met Democrat Wally Stealey, a legend in Colorado politics.

“I just want to mention that Gov. Ritter is wrong: You don’t have horns,” said Gardner, R-Yuma.

The House ag committee howled. Stealey, who lives in Pueblo and was in Denver to testify on a water bill, has tangled with the Democratic governor over several issues, including Ritter’s veto of two union measures last year.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.